Cell Morphogenesis: Tracing the Paths of Induction During Drosophila Ommatidial Development

Abstract

The study of the Drosophilamelanogaster eye began in earnest in the late 1980s and continues to this day. Hundreds of fine papers have been published along the way. Thus, some may ask why it is important to continue to study the Drosophila eye. After all, what can possibly be left to discover that would lead to substantial advances in the field of Developmental Biology? One answer, as has been pointed out numerous times before, is that the Drosophila eye is a remarkable system for studying the role of induction in cell fate specification. And, in spite of the attention shown to it in the past, there are substantial gaps in our knowledge of how even this relatively simple system develops. Filling these gaps promises to unlock mysteries that no one yet suspects exist, which will lead to discoveries no one can yet fathom.

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